Another National Principals Month (NPM) is officially in the books, but you can still enjoy the month’s events on the NPM website. There you can find student video contest winners, a recording of the NPM Capitol Hill event, recordings of webinars, and much more. Afraid you missed your chance to recognize your principal now that October is over? Don’t worry—you can still send your school leaders e-cards, or use #ThankAPrincipal on social media. Help us honor principals all year.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s NPM, and we can’t wait to see you again in 2018!

Inside the Beltway

What’s Happening in Washington?

Last week, congressional leadership released H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The bill makes numerous changes to the tax code and will be marked up in the House Ways and Means Committee on Monday, November 6. You can find a summary of the bill here.

Why Should Principals Care?

The bill features several components that influence education. One worry of many education organizations is that the bill would completely eliminate the state and local tax deduction (SALT). SALT offers potential tax breaks for individuals that pay for state and local taxes on real estate property, income, personal property, and sales, thus offering incentives for individuals to engage in activities that benefit education. H.R. 1 does not completely eliminate SALT, but instead places a limit of up to $10,000 that can now be written off. One other area of concern is that the bill now allows for 529 plans to be used to cover expenses at public, private, and religious schools. 529 savings plans were originally intended to be used to save money for a student to attend college. This change allows the ability for dollars to flow more freely to private institutions. Lastly, it could eliminate a provision that allows K–12 teachers and principals the ability to deduct up to $250 that they personally spend on their students or classes.

A new report examines the characteristics of special education voucher systems throughout the United States. While some may claim that these programs benefit students, this research points out that there are many questions and concerns surrounding the effectiveness of these programs.